Philippians 2: 1–13
Saint Francis of Assisi
|
|
Lord, may we hear your voice in the words spoken in your name. Amen.
|
|
I began thinking about Saint Francis of Assisi this week simply because
we will be blessing everyone’s pets next weekend — in honor
of the love Francis showed to all of God’s creation. But the
more I read about this humble man’s life and devotion, the more I
began to see him and his influence all over the place. I saw that
he had taken the words of our Psalm this morning, Psalm 25, to
heart. “Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your
paths.” That was the essence of what St. Francis prayed
every single morning, on his knees in the tiny sanctuary of San Damiano,
staring fixedly at the painted wooden cross. And what the Lord
daily showed Francis to do – by small, loving actions to the
least of these — utterly transformed the larger Church – in
a way the Church is still appreciating.
|
|
Though he had grown up rich and privileged, and had served honorably
in the army, this wealthy young man had grown disillusioned at his
own self–indulgent way of life. And in the year 1207, when
Francis began to pray with all his heart in that dilapidated chapel of
San Damiano, Francis began to receive visions from the
Lord — visions that showed him he could start to change his life
and his world by small acts of kindness to others. And in these
actions, I see Francis as an exemplar of Paul’s words to the
Philippians this morning in our Epistle – “Do nothing from
selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better
than yourselves.” Let me offer you a few examples.
|
|
In one vision, Francis heard the Lord say to him, “Francis, rebuild
my church, for as you can see, it is falling into ruin.” Young
men of his social class simply did not work with their hands, much less
get them dirty. But, using some masonry skills he had picked up
in the army, when he had helped to rebuild the military fortress of
Assisi, Francis took those words literally and began to rebuild the
little church of San Damiano stone by stone. He also began to
show kindness to people around him in any way he could.
|
|
In those days before modern medicine, people were terrified of disease,
and particularly of leprosy. Francis was so disgusted by the sight
of lepers he would avert his eyes and hold his nose if he even passed
by one of their houses. But one day, after he had confessed his
fear to the Lord, he not only gave money to a leper begging for mercy,
he kissed the man’s hand after he had placed a coin in it. And
a moment later, when he looked back and saw no one in sight, Francis
realized he had just kissed the hand of Jesus. And was overwhelmed
with a sense of holy awe and joy.
|
|
Francis was so excited about all he’d begun to learn of the Lord
and his compassion, he began to preach to his friends, the affluent
young people he used to hang out with. And they, in turn, inspired
by his example – began to pray in devotion to the Lord, began to
give to the poor around them. They also began to help Francis
rebuild the little church of San Damiano and another small church, just
south of Assisi.
|
|
Two years later, in 1209, Francis’ ministry grew dramatically
when eleven of these friends, now dedicated to doing God’s will
in His way, decided to accompany him on foot to Rome, to ask Pope
Innocent III’s permission to establish a new order – the
Franciscans. They would be dedicated, as Francis himself was,
to begging for their own bread and helping the poor in any way they
could. So, dressed in a rough brown habit tied together with a
rope, and looking for all the world like an impoverished peasant,
Francis knocked at the door of the papal palace – and was quickly
turned away.
|
|
But that night Pope Innocent III had a dream. In his dream he
saw the Church, the great Lateran Church, symbolizing all of Christendom,
tipping over, about to fall to the ground. But hoisting it up on
his shoulder and preventing it from falling was a young man, wearing
the tunic of a poor laborer. Realizing it was the disheveled
young man who had been turned away from his palace the day before,
Innocent III sent emissaries to find Francis and escort him back to
the palace. And the rest, as they say, is history. For
within ten years, the Franciscans’ number had grown to 5,000
men and women – so inspired 13th century Europe was
by their humble, loving example.
|
|
For Francis’ love and concern for the least around him was not
limited to the poor. He saw birds and wild animals as fellow
creatures, his siblings in God’s Kingdom. Because he loved
his Creator God, you see, he loved what God had created – the
birds, the trees, the flowers. So, when he preached, he
didn’t simply preach about them – he preached to
them as well. It’s for this that many of us have statues
of Saint Francis in our gardens – showing him with a bird
perched on his finger or on his shoulder. And it’s for
this that we will bless the animals people bring us next Saturday.
|
But our appreciation for Francis is not limited to putting statues of
him holding a birdbath in our gardens. We also remember his
words – the words he prayed as he felt the peaceful presence of
God all around him. One of those prayers is written in your Book
of Common Prayer – on page 833. Look at it now, if you
would like.
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to
understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in
giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are
pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal
life. Amen.
Those words speak to us, you see, because in the 12th and
13th century things weren’t very different from the
way they are in our day. The rich were very rich, the poor very
poor – and the gap between them was ever widening. In the
year Francis was born the Jews were banished from France, and all
over Europe, anti–Semitism was rising. Wars, too, were
breaking out all over Europe and in the Middle East – notably
the Third Crusade, dedicated to killing all Muslims.
|
|
We, too, you see, need Jesus’ peace. And what Francis
showed us is that the way we get the peace and love of God is simply
to give it away – whenever we can, to whomever we can find. We
ask Jesus to show us his ways. And when we begin to do what he has
shown us to do – we experience his peace and his love in
ever–larger measure. And all around us – people
notice. It’s the miracle of incarnation – Christ in
us, working through us – happening over and over again. Just
as it did through Francis and his friends.
|
|
Let me close with one last example, this one a local one. In one
church I served there was a man – a beloved saint of God –
who, after he took Communion each Sunday would return to his pew and
open his Book of Common Prayer to this same page – 833 — you
just turned to. And while others received Communion, Ted
communed with the Lord through the words of the prayer of Saint
Francis, asking God to make him an instrument of his peace, all
week long. He didn’t wear a brown habit, tied with a
rope. And he didn’t wear his hair in that tonsured style
we now associate with the Franciscans. In fact, he lived in a
rather grand house in that town. But he was kind to all and
wherever he went, peace and harmony followed after him. And when
Ted died, hundreds of people from all around the country came to pay
him homage.
|
|
I think you and I could follow in his example – and in Saint
Francis’ example too. Becoming ministers of God’s
peace wherever we go. For who knows how God will use us?
|
Amen.
|
|
|
